A morning roundup of news, opinion, and links from Washington City Paper and around the District. Send tips and ideas to citydesk@washingtoncitypaper.com. 

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For the fourth year in a row, we’re serving up carefully researched answers to your burning questions. How did the Adams Morgan deli So’s Your Mom get its name? Which bars stay open the latest in D.C.? Why are so many of the walk lights at intersections twisted and facing the wrong way? Those questions and many more in our 2015 Answers Issue.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • In Congress Heights, a promised neighborhood transformation has gotten messy. [Housing Complex]
  • Metro’s ventilation system is now under scrutiny after last week’s deadly smoke incident. [Post]
  • Police say Christopher Barry‘s recent alleged outburst at a PNC Bank wasn’t his first run-in with that branch. [Loose Lips]
  • Frederik de Pue, the former chef at Table and other D.C. restaurants, has been accused of improperly taking money and alcohol from restaurants. [Young & Hungry]

RECENT CITY PAPER STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:

Tony! Tony! Tony?: Rival H Street NE carryout restaurants named Tony’s both claim to be the original.

Local Music Video: Watch the new video for Ex Hex’s “Don’t Wanna Lose.”

Don’t Mess With Mies: The more radical plans for the overhaul of the MLK Library may be off the table due to preservation concerns.

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Will Sommer (tips? wsommer@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Kaya Henderson announces schools plan for minority male students. [Post]
  • The WCP Answers Issue returns. [WCP]
  • Christopher Barry turns himself in after alleged bank outburst, pleads not guilty. [LL, WAMU, Post, NBC4, Times]
  • Contracting boss James Staton bails with a year left on his term. [LL]
  • Muriel Bowser hires ex-AG candidate Edward “Smitty” Smith. [Post]
  • More innovative central library plans seem less likely. [Housing Complex]
  • Ex-planning boss Harriet Tregoning weighs in on pop-up proposal. [Housing Complex]
  • Two homeless men who were almost entombed. [Post]

HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Aaron Wiener (tips? awiener@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Answers to all your burning questions about D.C. [WCP]
  • These 10 maps depict life, transportation, and problems in the District. [Post]
  • And these show what D.C. (and other cities) will look like in 2030. [Urban Institute]
  • REI location in NoMa appears to be a done deal. [WBJ]
  • Fox 5 correspondent: D.C. “is not part of America.” [Washingtonian]
  • Condos at former 14th Street NW funeral home site are going for half a million and up. [WBJ]
  • Today on the market: Renovated Carver Langston rowhouse—-$500,000

ARTS LINKS, by Christina Cauterucci (tips? ccauterucci@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Watch Ex Hex‘s new video for “Don’t Wanna Lose,” replete with red lips and statement socks. [Arts Desk]
  • Wale might have gotten Kanye West to redesign the Wizards’ uniforms. [CBS DC]
  • Preservationists are limiting the parameters of the redesign of the MLK Library. [Housing Complex]
  • See Oscar-nominated documentaries and shorts for free at the National Archives. [Washingtonian]
  • Kehinde Wiley, Maya Lin, Sam Gilliam, and four other artists received the Department of State’s Medal of Arts. [Post]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Jessica Sidman (tips? jsidman@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Taste testing California Tortilla‘s ramen burrito [Washingtonian]
  • Kapnos Taverna opens next week with Greek seafood towers. [Eater]
  • Former LivingSocial execs jump into the meal-delivery game with Galley. [WBJ]
  • The politics of foie gras [VICE]
  • 12 new soups around D.C. to ward off the cold [Zagat]
  • Six new places to eat on H Street NE [Express]
  • Critic Tom Sietsema answers readers’ questions. [Post]